Dhenkanal: Amid reports of increasing poaching in Hindol range, the forest department has decided to equip its staff with more firepower, a report.
The initiative has come after poachers are reportedly active in some forests of Dhenkanal for ivory. A tusker was recently shot dead by a group of poachers in Kandhara reserve forest under Hindol range. Five days have passed since the ivory smugglers decamped with its tusks.
What is worrying was that on the same day, poachers had opened 17 rounds of bullets at forest officials who were conducting patrolling in the area.
Though the forest department has been conducting investigation, it has failed to get any clue about the poachers.
In the wake of poachers’ misadventure challenging the forest officials, the department has woken up from its slumber. Taking a serious note of the incident, the department has decided to impart training to forest officials on firing at Police Reserve line so that they will be able to counter poachers and timber mafia.
DFO Dr Prakash Chand Gogineni and SP K Shiba Subramani have held talks with in this regard.
After this incident, the forest department is aware of the fact that poachers have become more active than before in the area. They, in fact, worried about the safety of elephants in Dhenkanal forests. It has become a challenge for the officials.
According to the department, there are 40 elephants in Kandhara reserve forest while 60 elephants are in Badamba-Narasinghpur side under Athagarh range in Cuttack.
It was learnt that the forest officials of the Dhenkanal and Athagarh ranges have decided to conduct joint raids in various areas to nab the poachers.
According to preliminary investigation, the department has intensified efforts to catch the poachers. During the exchange of firing with poachers, it was seen that there were nine poachers armed with guns in the forest, said the DFO.
Now, the state government has provided Rs 10 lakh to the forest department to buy new weapons. The forest officials will be trained in firing at Police Line Firing Range. The matter was discussed with the SP, the DFP said.
Meanwhile, an elephant was found dead near a creek of Gobindapur under Kandhara range. According to the forest department, the jumbo, aged about 15 years, likely died from an attack by another elephant.
However, the casualty has been reported just a few days after poachers had killed a tusker. The death of this elephant is still under clouds as it has a wound on its body.
PNN